This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-240917 filed Oct. 27, 2010, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The exemplary embodiments described herein detail for illustrative purposes and are subject to many variations in structure and design. It should be emphasized, however, that the present invention is not limited to a particularly disclosed embodiment shown or described. It is understood that various omissions and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient, but these are intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims of the present invention. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The terms “an” and “a” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item. This disclosure generally relates to an electrical junction box in which a cover member is attached to a box main body.
Heretofore, in some electrical junction boxes such as junction boxes to be mounted on a motor vehicle or the like, a cover member such as a lower cover or an upper cover is attached to a box main body that contains electrical components in order to prevent water or dust particles from entering the electrical junction box. As disclosed in, for example, JP 2007-282401 A (Patent Document 1) or JP 2009-165309 A (Patent Document 2), the box main body and cover member are coupled to each other by a plurality of locking mechanisms provided on a peripheral portion on the electrical junction box.
It is preferable that the locking mechanisms are arranged uniformly in balance on the peripheral portion of the electrical junction box in order to stably interconnect the box main body and cover member. However, in the electrical junction box to be mounted on a motor vehicle, there are some positions on which the locking mechanisms cannot be provided on account of a layout of adjacent parts. A staggering or rattling action will be caused in a clearance between the box main body and the cover member at a position on which the locking mechanisms are not provided. This will cause problems that water or dust particles may enter the clearance or that the locking mechanism may be subject to any stress that damages the locking mechanism.